http://mmajunkie.comIt’ll be a home fight for one and a quick trip down Interstate 94 for the other.

Featherweights Erik Koch (13-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and Ricardo Lamas (12-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) will meet when the UFC returns to Chicago in January for UFC on FOX 6. Sources with knowledge of the fight on Wednesday confirmed its new date to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

The bout originally was targeted for the year-end UFC 155 pay-per-view in Las Vegas, but now finds a home in the Windy City. UFC officials recently confirmed the winner could be in position for a shot at the 145-pound championship.

UFC on FOX 6 takes place Jan. 26 at Chicago’s United Center and will be the promotion’s second trip to that venue. UFC on FOX 2 took place there this past January. The main card will air on FOX with prelims on FUEL TV.

Lamas lives and trains in the Chicago area, while Koch’s training home is with the Duke Roufus camp in Milwaukee, just 90 miles away.

Koch was scheduled to meet featherweight champion Jose Aldo (21-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) at UFC 153 in October. But a Koch injury forced him off the card, and former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, dropping down a weight class, was set to fight for the title. But then Aldo, too, was hurt, and the fight was canceled. Aldo and Edgar will fight at UFC 156 in February, and the Koch vs. Lamas winner could be up next.

Koch most recently fought in September 2011, when he beat “TUF 12″ winner Jonathan Brookins by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 25, which made him 2-0 in the UFC. Since his lone pro loss to Chad Mendes at WEC 47, Koch is 4-0. But he’ll be returning to the octagon after 16 months on the sidelines.

Lamas is coming off a unanimous-decision win over Hatsu Hioki at UFC on FX 4 in June. The upset of the Japanese fighter (whom many considered No. 2 in the world at the time) moved Lamas to 3-0 in the UFC. Before the win over Hioki, Lamas had a “Submission of the Night” win over Cub Swanson at UFC on FOX 1 and a knockout victory over Matt Grice in June 2011.

UFC on FOX 6 will feature a main event flyweight title fight between champion Demetrious Johnson and top contender John Dodson, plus a lightweight contenders battle between Donald Cerrone and former WEC champion Anthony Pettis. Plus, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson recently tweeted he’ll be meeting Glover Teixeira on the card.